William Wallace

‘a tremendously popular account of one of Scotland’s genuine heroes’ – Scottish Life

‘the first well researched and reliable biography of Wallace . . . Andrew Fisher has looked at the sources with a fresh eye and the result is a lively and interesting study’ – History Teaching Review

William Wallace has always been one of the legendary figures of Scottish history. Unlike previous biographies, which have tended to present Wallace as a one-dimensional figure, this new and substantially expanded edition of Andrew Fisher’s classic book investigates all aspects of Wallace’s life and character, treating him as a man of his time. In an age of brutality, Wallace too was brutal: he repaid the sack of Berwick with the harrying of Northumberland, and the crimes with which he was charged in 1305 were by no means wholly fabricated.

Featuring new sections on the Wallace of literature and present-day perceptions, this book provides a more authentic picture of the greatest of Scotland’s heroes than has been previously available, placing the crude distortions and inaccuracies such as Braveheart in their proper context.

Andrew Fisher was archivist to the Duke of Buccleuch at Drumlanrig Castle, where he still lives.